Perez feeling the season's challenges

The difficulties that Oliver Perez has experienced - the ones that have sent a promising lefty spiraling deeper and deeper into pitching oblivion - were back in full force Sunday at Citi Field.

There were, of course, the boos to contend with, such as the ones that flared up as soon as his name was announced during the 14-1 drubbing by the Diamondbacks and continued throughout a resoundingly painful two innings.

But there are other problems - the sinker that sometimes won't sink, his position as a rarely used mop-up man, and the cavalcade of baserunners, such as the ones that circled around him as he gave up four runs and five hits in two innings.

"It's tough for us, it's tough for the fans," he said. "I have to keep working and I'm not going to give up. This is baseball. Sometimes it's tough and you have to be a grown man and try to get better and try to do the best."

He said that a lot after the game, and Jerry Manuel all but echoed him. "It's tough, tough," both said.

If it sounds like a mantra, it's because Perez's problems on the mound have become deeply woven into the fabric of this team.

Before his trip to the disabled list June 5, Perez was 0-4 with a 6.36 ERA. He had gone 15-10 in 2007 and 10-7 in 2008 for the Mets, but his career has gone downhill since then. He became known for starts that sometimes were brilliant, sometimes disastrous and almost always erratic.

"He's in a tough spot," Manuel said. "He's not getting the reps that are necessary to gain confidence or even compete . . . But he did go out and throw strikes for the most part."

And if there's a bright side to the outing, it's that. Perez walked only one batter in two innings and struck out two.

Perez allowed two hits in the eighth, one an RBI single by Mark Reynolds, and walked leadoff man Stephen Drew to begin the ninth. The Diamondbacks strung together three hits and a sacrifice fly to score three runs.

"I felt good," Perez said, but he added that working out of the bullpen is a different animal. "You have to be prepared because it could happen that you're [warming up] seven days in a row, but you have to keep your emotions ready."

It's a steep learning curve for the former starter. At 28, he's no longer young in baseball years - his hair is graying prematurely - and he seems aware that he's running out of chances. Doleful after the game, he was hugged by a clubhouse attendant and got a pep talk from Chris Carter.

Perez heard the pre-trade deadline rumors, but "the team, the general manager, they know more than me," he said. "When I wear this uniform, I'm playing with honor because that's how I play."

He added, "I try to do my best . . . sometimes you're going to have really bad moments."

Spoken like someone who's had more than his fair share.